1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a portable information acquisition device that displays acquired information and stores the acquired information. This invention relates in particular to a portable information acquisition device in which an arrangement of operation buttons and the like has been designed to increase operability.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, the use of portable information acquisition devices has become widespread. In these portable information acquisition devices, there is a function that records handwritten (or line drawing) information. This handwritten information is written on a tablet screen using an input pen or the like. In recent years, these portable information acquisition devices have been developed so that they are also capable of receiving image and audio input. This has been accompanied by an increasing diversification of functions. Thus, the utility of the portable information acquisition devices has increased to a currently high level.
FIG. 8 shows in schematic the outer structure of a conventional portable information acquisition device. This device contains icons 71 for carrying out various functions that are arranged on both ends of the display screen 70. When one of the icons 71 is designated using the pen 72, it is possible to carry out the function corresponding to the designated icon. For example, if the page sequential feeding icon 73 is designated, pages on the screen 70 are displayed as sequentially fed. Conversely, if the page reverse feeding icon 74 is designated, pages on the screen 70 are displayed as reversely fed. In addition to these icons, other icons are provided to carry out various functions. By designating any of these icons, it is possible to carry out the function corresponding to the icon.
Frequently, portable information acquisition devices are used not just at an office desk but outside the office as well. For example, the user may desire to quickly confirm the content of a certain page while walking or to see the page content while on the telephone. In these instances, the user first turns the power switch of the device on, and then uses the pen 72 to designate the page sequential feeding icon 73 or page reverse feeding icon 74 in order to see the content of the page. Page content is displayed page after page on the screen 70, and page feeding is stopped when the desired information is displayed.
Therefore, in a conventional device, it was necessary to use a pen in order to designate an icon to carry out a certain function. Accordingly, even just to display received information on the screen, both hands were required because the device was held in one hand while operations requiring the use of the pen were carried out with the other. Therefore, it could be extremely difficult for the user to carry out operations if one hand is occupied holding luggage or holding a phone. As a result, the conventional portable information acquisition devices were not user-friendly.
The problem of the conventional devices was addressed by providing a button operation, making it possible to carry out operations such as page feeding (sequential feeding, reverse feeding) through operating a button. A specified function could be carried out through button operation by holding the device main body in the palm of the hand and with fingers other than the thumb, leaving the thumb free to operate the buttons. Therefore, it was possible to use only one hand to carry out the page feeding operation or the like, making it was possible to at least see the desired page content using only the free hand, even when holding, for example, luggage in the other hand.
However, these types of devices generally have the buttons arranged with a right-handed person in mind. That is, it is supposed that these devices are generally used by holding the device in the left hand and operating the pen with the right hand. Accordingly, when operation buttons are provided, they are generally in a position so that they can be operated by the thumb or the pointer finger of the left hand.
If the user only performs the page feeding operation or the like without the need to hold the pen in the hand that the user would naturally use for writing, no inconvenience is experienced. This is due to the fact that, although the button layout is intended for operation when the device is held in the left hand, the operation such as page feeding or the like does not relate to be being right-handed or left-handed. However, operation of the device becomes extremely difficult for a left-handed person when carrying out functions that require the pen to be used while also operating buttons.
Further, when a plurality of operation buttons are provided in the device, to obtain an device of necessary compactness, it becomes necessary to arrange respective operation buttons having different functions adjacent to one another. When operating one of these adjacently arranged operation buttons by finger, it is necessary to reliably press only the button to be operated.
However, because these operation buttons are small as compared to the size of the fingers, there are many instances of erroneous operations. In order to deal with this problem in the conventional devices, when plural operation buttons are arranged adjacent to one another, the operation buttons have been designed with various shapes and colors to prevent mistakes in pressing buttons. However, this only served to call the user""s attention to the different kinds of buttons by visually distinguishing the buttons, and was ineffective to prevent the user, when pressing the button to be operated, from pressing another adjacent button at the same time.
Thus, there were various types of room for improvement from the point of operability in the conventional devices.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to realize a portable information acquisition device in which operations can be easily performed without regard for whether the user is right-handed or left-handed. Also, an object of the present invention is to design improvements in operability on various other points, both for cases when only one hand is being used to operate buttons to carry out a certain specified function, and for cases when the user presses whichever operation button holding the device in one hand and concurrently operating the pen using the other hand.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is a portable information acquisition device capable of acquiring information that displays and stores the acquired information. The device also contains operation buttons that, upon being operated, each carries out a designated function from a plurality of different functions. In the portable information acquisition device, similar operation buttons carry out a similar kind of function from the plurality of different functions, the similar operation buttons being respectively provided on a left side and a right side of the device when the screen of the device is seen from the front. The similar operation buttons carry out a similar kind of function no matter which of the similar operation buttons is operated. The operation buttons are provided in a plural configuration of pairs on both the left and right sides. When the plurality of operation buttons are formed respectively into the pairs of similar operation buttons carrying out different functions for each pair, each pair is arranged in symmetrical positions with one of each pair on the left side and the other of the pair on the right side. The operation buttons are positioned at least above the center axis dividing the portable information acquisition device into upper and lower parts, as viewed from the front. At least two of the plurality of operation buttons that carry out different functions are arranged adjacent to one another so as to be operated by a same finger. A pressure-application surface of one operation button of the at least two operation buttons has a different size with respect to a pressure-application surface of the other of the at least two operation buttons. Also, the pressure-application surface of the one operation button is positioned so as to be operated by a tip of the finger, wherein the pressure-application surface of the one operation button is larger than the pressure-application surface of the other of the at least two operation buttons.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is a portable information acquisition device that displays and stores the acquired information. In this portable information acquisition device, a plurality of operation buttons are provided that, upon being operated, each carries out the designated function from a plurality of different functions. At least two operation buttons that carry out different functions from among said plurality of operation buttons are arranged adjacent to one another so as to be operated by a same finger. A pressure-application surface of one operation button of the at least two operation buttons has a different size with respect to a pressure-application surface of the other of the at least two operation buttons. The pressure-application surface of the one operation button is positioned so as to be operated by a tip of the finger, wherein the pressure-application surface of the one operation button is larger than the pressure-application surface of the other of the at least two operation buttons.
The present invention is a portable information acquisition device in which operation buttons are provided that, upon being operated, carry out the desired function. In this portable information acquisition device, operability is improved by designing an arrangement of operation buttons and the like.
In order to realize these improvements, in the present invention, first, operation buttons that carry out similar kinds of functions are respectively arranged on both the left and right sides of the device. As a result, they can be easily operated by either a right-handed or left-handed user. Further, even if one hand is occupied, and regardless of whether the user is right-handed or left-handed, operations such as page feeding are able to be easily carried out just using the free hand.
Further, when operation buttons performing a similar kind of function are arranged in a plural configuration (in which the functions are different by respective pairs) and in symmetrical positions on the left and right, no matter whether the device is held in the right hand or the left hand, reliable operation is possible without pressing the wrong operation button because the similar function operation buttons are positioned at the same fingers on the right and left sides. For example, reliable operation is possible using just one hand when luggage is held in the other hand, even when the buttons are operated quickly by the free hand.
Further, an improvement in operability has been designed by arranging respective kinds of operation buttons on the upper side of the device, respectively, so that each kind of operation button is positioned so as to be easily operated by the thumb or pointer finger when the device is being held in one hand.
Furthermore, when a plurality of operation buttons are arranged adjacent to one another, by making the pressure-application surface of the button positioned at the tip of the finger larger, due to the difference in pressure applied by the fingertip, it is possible to prevent operational error in which the button on the other side is pressed at the same time.